


Someday

by weakwilled (spinelesswolf)



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Abuse, Bullying, Depression, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Foster Care, M/M, Multi, Suicide Attempt, Yandere, pregame
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-07 17:37:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14676093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinelesswolf/pseuds/weakwilled
Summary: Pregame AU where Ouma has moved to a new family and town. After getting placed with Akamatsu's family, Ouma Kokichi enters a new high school and meets new people. He meets bullies and possible friends. One of his friends seems to be a little... obsessed with a t.v. show. Little by little, he too will become addicted to it.I don't know what to write for summaries. basically it's just the pregame kids.





	1. Moving

“What the hell is wrong with you!? Why do you keep causing us so much trouble? Do you get a kick out of seeing everyone suffer because of **you**? Honestly! No wonder your parents didn’t want you! You’re nothing but a disaster! Stop being such a **liar** , Ouma-kun! You’re hurting _everyone_!”

Yelling at him _again_ , Ouma’s caretaker grabbed him by his shoulders tightly. He was pinned against the wall and had nowhere to escape to. As always, he was trapped against this woman’s anger. Her long, painted nails dug into his sore shoulder as he turned his head away from her.

“I’m sorry… Ishikawa-san-! I-I’m sorry… I won’t lie anymore. I really am sorry. I won’t- Please… _Please_ believe me.” His eyes squeezed shut as heavy tears flowed from the corners of them. His small form trembled in fear and shock from her harsh grip. “ ** _I’m sorry!_** ”

“ _Really_! What are you **thinking**!? You’re going to accuse someone like Nakano-kun of bullying you? Does that even make sense?! I’ll have you know I’ve been friends with their family for years! They would never do something like that- Especially their son. You need to think about what you say before saying it!” Her messy black bun was falling out of it’s tidy place. Her hair reminded him of hairy spider legs reaching out to ensnare him in her web. It was waiting to consume him. He could _feel_ it.

“I’m sorry- I’m really- really sorry! P-please! Please let go!” Screaming, he tried to duck under her to escape her grip. Attempting to rush from under her arm, he was grabbed by the back of his hair.

“Ow-!”

 “Ouma-kun! Don’t run away from this! You need to apologize to Nakano-kun! Stop being such a **liar**!” Raising her voice again, she held him by his hair tightly.

His scalp felt like it was on fire as she tugged. He knew that some of his hair would be coming out by that point too. There was no way he could escape without damage. As long as she didn’t hit him then… 

“I… I’m sorry. I w-won’t be a liar anymore… I’ll apologize to him t-tomorrow. Please-!”

“Don’t lie anymore!”

“I won’t-!”

Finally letting go of him, Kokichi ran past her to get to his shared room. He could hear her sighing from behind him as she angrily stormed off to the kitchen to make dinner.

Once at the door, he hesitantly opened it as quietly as possible. Sneaking inside, he collapsed down the door and curled up in a ball. Hugging his legs close to his chest, he felt his chest heave from anxiousness and hyperventilation. Inhaling and exhaling shaky breaths, he looked down at his dirty uniform and cringed at the sight of his scraped hands.

His right hand had an open wound from a pen being stabbed into it. The other was full of bruises and burns from Nakan-... From an accident. That’s right. It was just an accident. There was no way someone like Nakano could do that. He was a good kid. He was…

“Nn…” Choking on his own tears, he let out a silent sob. Still shaking, he could feel the heavy guiltiness settle in his chest.

This was all his fault. This was seriously… All his fault.

How many families has this been? How many families has he lost? All for lying… If he could stop being a liar, then this wouldn’t happen.  He should… Stop. He should just stop. Stop lying. It should be easy, _right_? Not to lie. It was…

  _Hard_.

What should he do? 

Most of his lies were the truth.

“Ah…” 

He just wanted to sleep.

* * *

 

The next few days were a blur. He was handed off here and there. He had to pack his belongings. He had to do this and that. It was almost as if he wasn’t there at all. It felt like someone else had taken over his body and used him as a puppet as he went through the motions of starting over yet again.

Every time this happened, it was the _same_. 

He would be shipped off to a different foster family, move in, go to school, get bullied, tell someone, and then be shipped off once more.

How many families was this… 

It had to be around the twenties. 

That’s right… He could remember twenty people who attempted to give him care. Every single one of them gave up on him soon afterwards. He was a problem child. Too many fights, too much drama, too poor of grades- He was a hassle. A **burden**.

Every time he laid in his new bed, he would look at the ceiling and pretend he was looking up at the stars. It would be alright with him if the world decided to cave in on itself too. If he were to be crushed by the weights of life being pressed onto his body, then… everything would be better. No one would have to worry about him any longer. That pathetic boy would finally disappear from everyone’s concern.

But here he was.

 Still alive.

 He was a coward who couldn’t even _die_.

  _Rinse. Repeat. Start the cycle again._

 Each bump of the car made Ouma squirm in his seat. He clung to the scarf in his hand tightly. It acted as a mere security blanket that gave him a tiny boost of confidence every now and again. It was the last gift that his mother ever gave him before she went away.

 As long as he held it close, he knew that she would be with him. Even though she wasn’t able to be there with him in person, he could feel her spirit by his side. It was almost as if he was holding his mother’s hand. The hand that was starting to slowly fade from his memory.

 The world passed by quickly as he gazed out the window. The trees, sky, clouds, and buildings all seemed to blur together if he didn’t focus enough. He went from his rural town to a big city.

  _Go. Turn. Go. Slow. Go. Turn. Stop. Go._

 Along the way, the roadkill became less and less. He had been counting them on the way there to ease his boredom. The trees soon turned into tall build board signs and the grass turned into cement. The sun turned into neon signs and the clouds were suddenly puffs of smoke coming from cars and trains.

  _Go. Stop. Stop. Go. Go. Slow. Turn. Go._

 It was only a matter of time before he was passed around again. These sights were nice but… They were just that. Sights. It wasn’t home. He didn’t feel like he would fit in here and he knew something bad was bound to happen. It was the pattern of life he couldn’t escape.

  _Stop. Go. Stop. Slam on the breaks. Go. Turn. Go. Turn. Stop. Turn._

 Softly exhaling, he glanced down at his dirty shoes and rubbed one of them on top of the other to rid it of some of the dirt. Instead, it caused it to smudge. There was really nothing he could do. He didn’t want to bother the people in the front of the car either. They would probably yell at him. Staying silent was the best option.

  _Go. Go. Stop. Turn. Go._

 Hours passed.

  _Turn. Go. Slow. Slower. Slowing… Stop. Park._

 Flinching when the car suddenly came to a sudden halt, he rubbed his eyes before looking out the window. Sleep clouded his vision for a moment as he groggily attempted to see what was happening. Were they stopping for a bathroom break? Or… No.

 This was a _neighborhood_. They were parked in front of a small suburban home. It was a medium sized house with a brick stone fence in the front with a black iron gate. The house was a light brown with a dark brown roof and appeared to have a few windows. There was one with an open window and a girl looking down at him. She was pretty, but her face gave off a distasteful glare. Her long hair fell past her shoulders and her nose wrinkled with disgust as Ouma made eye contact.

 Almost instantly, he shot his gaze down to his dirty shoes again and felt the feeling of anxiety bubble up in his chest.

 Exiting the car, he placed his hand into his pocket and squeezed the black and white checkered scarf tightly in his sweaty palm. His mother was with him. There was no reason to worry. This time…? This time he would be fine. There was no way that anything bad could happen.

 The adults began to talk to each other to discuss legal matters. It was probably only a matter of time before he had to introduce himself properly.

 In his head, he repeated what he wanted to say over and over again. _‘Hello, my name is Ouma Kokichi. Thank you for taking care of me.’_

 As he thought about what he was going to say, he finally got a good glimpse of the family.

 This new house had a father, a mother, and a daughter. The mother had long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a kind smile. The father had brown hair and violet eyes with a strict expression. Their daughter? _Well_ … She looked annoyed more than anything. She had her mother’s hair and her father’s eyes. Her arms were crossed and she scowled at him.

 Once the adults finished speaking and signing here and there, he bowed deeply and introduced himself.

 “H-hello! My name is care of me thank you for Ouma K-kokichi!” Jumbling his words up, he shot back up and turned a deep shade of red. Clearing his throat, he tried again. “M-my name is Ouma Kokichi… T-thank you for… Taking care of me.”

 The father simply laughed. “There’s no reason to be nervous, Ouma-kun. We’re glad to let you stay here.” His voice was deep, but not booming. He could already imagine what getting yelled at would be like.

 “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ouma-kun. My name is Akamatsu Meiko. This is Akamatsu Tomoharu… And this young lady is Akamatsu Kaede.” The mother nudged her daughter slightly. “Don’t be shy… Introduce yourself.”

 "Kaede” scanned him up and down and rolled her eyes soon afterwards, sending a shiver down Ouma’s spine. Did she… already hate him? They didn’t even say anything yet…

“I-i-it’s nice to meet you, K-kaede-san…?”

“That’s stupid, you know. Just call me Kaede. At school, call me Akamatsu-san though. Stop stuttering too. It’s annoy- _Ow_!” Kaede was cut off by a sudden pinch to her arm. “What?! You were thinking it too, weren’t you?”

Her mother furrowed her eyebrows and silently scolded her with a gaze that screamed, ‘Please behave.”

“I’m so sorry, Ouma-kun. She means well. Come in, come in. You must be tired after a long day of travelling! Here, my husband will take care of your things. I’ll make you some tea.” Her voice was soft and calming as she offered a warm drink to him.

“Haha! Hey! I didn’t volunteer to do this!”

“Of course you did, dear. You were voluntold to.”

The father and mother laughed light heartedly as they bantered back and forth. The entire time, Kaede’s eyes were fixated on him like he was a mere worm wiggling beneath her foot. She… Didn’t like him.

It was crazy how she was related to these nice people.

“U-Um… I-if you don’t mind, Meiko-san… I-I could help him?” Speaking up, Ouma hesitantly looked back at the car. “I-it’s not much… M-maybe only a few boxes or so…”

“No, no! I insist you go inside and rest. Kaede-chan, go get him some tea. I’ll talk with the workers for a few more minutes. Okay? And… Be nice!” Her soft voice turned slightly stern as she ordered her daughter to be kind.

“Ugh. Whatever. Come with me if you want or stand out here like an idiot.” Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Kaede walked past her mother and opened the gate.

Like a fool, Ouma walked into the gate accidentally. “Oof-” He didn’t know why he expected someone like her to hold it open for him… But it would have been nice if she did.

Nervously entering the house, he took his shoes off and left them by the door. It was… a normal looking house on the inside. The wood floors were clean, the walls had a few pictures here and there, there were a few tables with various items on them… It was a normal hallway.

From what he could see, there was a long hall that surrounded the living space. On the right was the dining and kitchen areas with a bathroom, and the left side had stairs that lead upstairs, a study, and a laundry room along the way. It really looked like a normal home.

He felt bad for entering this house. He would probably bring them some sort of drama or damage. He felt… bad. They looked like nice people for the most part. It was the same as inviting a rat into a five star restaurant with no limitation. Eventually, he would ruin that place’s reputation and cause everyone to turn their backs on him.

“Mmm… T-thank you for having me…” Whispering to himself, he entered and followed Kaede to the sliding doors that lead to the living room.

After she opened it, she pointed to the couch. It was a soft, white couch with leather seating. It was facing a small coffee table that had a stack of books on the corner and looking out towards the T.V. “Sit there and stay there. I’ll be back with tea.”

Nodding, Ouma sheepishly wandered to the seat and sat down. The rub beneath his feet was a cream color and reminded him of the hair of a soft dog. Everything seemed to clean and nice… Was it really alright for him to be there? He didn’t… Look like he belonged anyway. These beautiful people had allowed a pest to enter their home.

His body ached in pain at the thought of the white couch beneath him getting stained with red. He was always getting beaten up and attacked. Would they be mad if he got blood on it? Hopefully they wouldn’t be too mad…

 He sat there stiffly and clenched his shirt as he looked at the table. He wasn’t focusing on anything in particular. He just wanted to think.

 After a few minutes, Kaede returned to the room with two cups in her hands. They were two plain white cups with green tea.

 "U-Um… Thank y-you for the tea…”

 “Shut up.”

 “O-okay.”

 Taking the cup, he held it in his injured hands for a moment. It was warm…

 “The hell is wrong with you? Drink it.” Kaede spat at him with an annoyed tone as she sipped her own.

 “S-sorry…” Doing as he was told, he took a small sip of it and sighed. It was really warm. It felt nice.

 A moment of silence went past them. It was awkward and he could feel the tension in the room. What was she thinking? She looked really pissed off…

 Her eyes were focused on her cup of tea as she sat there quietly. Her expression always seemed to be in an irritated frown. He had just met her, but… her first impression wasn’t the best.

 “Why did you get kicked out of your other h-”

 “Er-”

 The door to the living room slid open and Akamatsu’s father stood there with a smile. “Ouma-kun, we’ve moved everything to your room now. Ah, I hope it’s alright. We just cleaned it out. It’s a little small since it used to be a storage room, but I think you will fit right in. Would you like to see?”

 Setting his tea down, he nodded silently and stood up. Looking back at Kaede, he bit down on his upper lip and wondered if he should tell her the truth. Well… Maybe later.

 While he followed her father to the stairs, he noticed that some of the pictures that were on the walls. Kaede used to look like such a happy girl… _What happened…_

 In one image was a family picture of her father holding her up and her mother laughing. They looked like they were having such a good time. It was a sunny day and she looked like she was only five years old.

 Another image was a school photo. She must have been twelve. Her hair was in pigtails and she had a goofy grin on her face.

 The next one was a family portrait of sometime around now. She didn’t even smile.

 Upstairs, there was a master bedroom, Kaede’s bedroom, and a storage unit next to the bathroom. That must have been his room… This was the first time he’s ever had his own space. It was exciting yet also terrifying at the same time.

 Swallowing hard, he poked his head into the empty room and knit his brows together. There was one window in the back, a small desk in the corner, a closet, and a futon spread across the floor. His boxes were piled next to the door frame too.

 “Is it okay?” Tomoharu questioned as he gently pat Ouma’s shoulder.

 “Y-yes, I love it… Thank you so much.” Smiling at him, he entered the room and looked around. “I’ve never had m-my own room before… Thank you.”

 “Haha! Of course. You’re a growing young man. You need your own space!” Patting the boy’s head this time, he smiled kindly. “Do you need help unpacking?”

 The head pat made Kokichi’s gaze soften as he looked at the room. It felt rather nice to have that kind of affection… Did all fathers do this to their sons? It must have been really nice…

 “I-I should be okay. Thank you… U-um… Should I r-repay you somehow? Or… D-do I do chores?” He twiddled his thumbs as he gazed at his feet nervously. In his other homes, he either had to pay rent or do all the chores. It would probably b-

 “Don’t worry about it. Just get a good education and we’ll be even. Okay?”

 “Wha… _R-really?_ ”

 “Of course. Well… I’ll leave you be. Are you sure you don’t want any help?”

Nodding, he looked up at the man and gave him a large smile.

 "I-I’m sure! Thank you!”

 Kaede’s father left the room and Ouma let out a small sigh. His smile fell from his face and he glanced at his new futon. Did they buy it for him? Or did they have it already? Either way… He did feel a little bad. He would repay them one way or another.

 After a few hours of unpacking, his room looked kind-of lived in. The desk now had a notebook, a few pens, and a picture frame on it. His five outfits were hung in the closet, and his slippers were next to the door. The room was still pretty empty though.

 The other boxes had school books and reading material from previous schools. He wasn’t sure what to do with them yet. He wouldn’t ask for a book shelf or anything- so… Maybe they would stay there until they were needed. He had so many notebooks from diary entries, school work, and plain doodles. Any time he felt lonely or unsure, he would study his heart out to distract him from the pain.

 As a student, he was extremely bad. He was able to complete the tasks and homework, but he couldn’t. He used to be bullied into doing everyone else’s homework so they would pass while he would fail. His tests were perfect, but the homework grades hurt him. His teachers would scold him, but they never believed him when he said the most popular kids in the class used him to their advantage. He was always a liar.

 "Mm… M-mom… Please watch over me this time…” Holding his worn scarf to his chest, he closed his eyes and leaned back onto his new bed. “I don’t want to be alone anymore…”

He felt so tired…

So, he fell asleep.


	2. Talking

The next day, Ouma woke up to the smell of fresh food coming from the kitchen. It smelled like grilled fish. When was the last time he ate breakfast? He couldn’t recall. The last house he was at didn’t want him to eat unless he had something to offer. Mostly, he ate dinner with them and then called it a night. 

He sat up from his soft futon and stretched his arms above his head. Yawning, he looked to the side at the alarm clock set on the edge of his desk. It was… his first day of a new high school. 

That unwelcomed yet familiar feeling of anxiousness began to form in the pit of his stomach. What would this school be like? He only heard about it from some gossipers around school. It was known to have rough students in it who were involved in gangs. God… hopefully none of them came close to him. He didn’t know how to handle a group like that.

Breathing in the fresh morning air, he got up and got ready for the day. His skin felt fresh and clean from the bath the night before. It was really nice of the Akamatsu family to let him use it first. He was probably the dirtiest one out of all of them… Yet they trusted him enough to wash up. 

This was going to be a good day. He could just feel it. 

Rolling up his bed, he folded it neatly and weakly put it into the closet. His entire body was rather frail and lacked any upper body strength; so, lifting a futon was a bit of a struggle. 

“ _Hnng_ -!” 

Once he placed it into the closet, he groaned softly and rubbed his bruised side from the week prior. It still stung in pain if he moved a certain way. “Mn- Ow...” Rubbing the potato shaped mark, he cringed.

_ Hopefully it would go away soon…  _

Standing up straight again, he glanced around the room and spotted his brand new uniform. It was completely black and normal looking. There wasn’t anything special about the uniform, but… it still made him feel excited to put it on. Brand new clothes were always exciting, right?

Ouma changed into the clean uniform slowly to feel the nice fabric against his skin. The pants slid on easily, but were still a tiny bit too big. From the looks of it, they were as small as they were made… but not small enough. He would probably have to ask someone to alter it slightly… 

The white shirt went on next. It fit a little better… And then he put the blazer on top. The blazer was definitely too big. It sagged on him and looked more like a large than a small. 

Letting out a small sigh, he went to button it up anyway. Now that he was at a new home, maybe he would be able to bulk up on food and grow into a normal sized seventeen year old body. 

He wanted to grow far bigger and stronger than he was now. Only at the height of 5’0, weighing 90 pounds, and a size small in everything for a young man was… unheard of. He looked like a middle schooler more than a high schooler. Not to even mention that he was a senior… 

“Mmn… I look like a _clown_ …” His mood dampened a bit at the sight of how large the sleeves were. They hung over his hands ever so slightly. 

Well… There was nothing he could do now. 

Kokichi packed his school bag and grabbed it to make his way downstairs. 

* * *

 

When he walked into the kitchen, he softly greeted everyone with a shy smile and sat down at the table where the rest were. 

Kaede’s mother was still finishing up some of the breakfast, Kaede was scrolling on her phone, and Kaede’s father was reading a newspaper and sipping tea. Looking up from the print, he smiled and greeted him in return. 

“Good morning, Ouma-kun. Did you sleep well?” He folded his news and set it to the side. 

“Y-yes, I did. Thank you, Tomoharu-san. It was really nice. O-oh… And Meiko-san, it smells r-really good!” His stomach was rumbling already as he looked at the bowl of miso soup, fresh rice, natto, and grilled fish before him. 

“I’m glad you think so. I don’t make this often, but I thought we should celebrate your first day of school. Ah, Kaede-chan, can you pour me a cup of coffee?” Meiko commented as she finished up grilling the last of the fish. 

“Whatever.” Kaede mumbled under her breath as she set her phone on the table. On the screen was a paused video labeled, “TOP TEN EXECUTIONS FROM DANGANRONPA.” 

She watched that show? It seemed… needlessly violent and fake. There was no way that people would actually kill each other like that. It was really unrealistic and… Well… He didn’t want to know. It didn’t seem like a good influence to anyone. 

Danganronpa had been around ever since he could remember. He was pretty sure that his earliest memories were of him and his mother watching the first season of it. He… couldn’t recall the details, but he knew it frightened him. For some people, it had become a religion

Billboards, advertisements, commercials, blogs, a channel- Danganronpa had everything. Only messed up people could be fans of that… Fake or not, killing was still wrong. 

Kaede poured two cups of black coffee. One for her, and one for her mother. She passed one to her mother and then sat back down. 

To Ouma’s surprise, she drank it as it was. If that were him, then he would probably need to add at least five spoonfuls of sugar and milk. It was way too bitter… 

“What would you like to drink, Ouma-kun?” Meiko comment broke his thoughts and observations of the girl. “We have juice, water, milk, coffee, tea… Anything you’d like.” 

“O-oh… Just tea is fine. Thanks for the meal.” He looked down at the table while twiddling his thumbs under the table. “I-I can help you with the dishes after school, if you’d like Meiko-san…?” 

Laughing without a care in the world, the mother shook her head and turned around to walk to the table. Sitting down, she spoke before taking a sip of her coffee. “It’s quite alright, Ouma-kun. Just relax and take care of your school work. I’ll be fine.” 

“Well, enough of this. Let’s eat.” 

The fish was cooked perfectly. It made his mouth water as he took a big bite out of the meat. His eyes widened at the taste and he tried to hide it by keeping his mouth full. A warm, home-cooked meal… It tasted great. Even the rice was fluffy and delicious. The soup? He could drink it all day! Honestly, it made him so happy. 

Halfway through eating, Kaede spoke up as she looked down at her phone again. 

“Ouma, you know about Danganronpa?”

Swallowing some of his rice, Kokichi looked up and began to panic slightly. She obviously liked it but… He didn’t want anything to do with it. Really… He had enough problems. This would add to the list of problems if he had to watch the entire show just to catch up for a conversation. 

“M-mmnn… N-no, I don’t… I don’t… Really watch T.V. or anything like that.” It’s not like he could anyway. The previous family forbid him from watching it as punishment for his bad grades. 

“Oh. Shame. It’s really cool.” Uninterested in hearing his sob story, Kaede turned back to watching her phone and eating carelessly. 

“Don’t mind her, Ouma-kun. She’s only interested in Danganronpa for some reason. We watch every new episode together on Friday’s when it airs. You should join us!” Tomoharu offered with a smile that no one could refuse. “It’s in the third trial, but it should be easy to catch up on.” 

Furrowing his brows, Ouma took a sip of his tea and nodded. “I-I’d love to.” 

_ ‘Just kidding. That’s a lie. I don’t want to watch murder.’  _

 

* * *

Walking to school was... Kind of  _uncomfortable._ He had to remember the strict rules that Kaede told him the minute they walked a block away from their home. 

_"Don't walk too close to me. I don't want anyone to know that you're living at my house. Keep back at least twenty feet so no one suspects anything. Keep your head low if Maki comes around. I don't want you to talk to her. Got it?"_

_"G-got it..."_

Was he really  _that_ embarrassing to be around? They were almost adults. One would think that they were mature enough to walk to school without worry but... He guessed that was wrong. It made him feel even more nervous to go to school. If Kaede was like this, then what would the other students be like? She was so tough and antisocial... Would he even be able to make a friend? 

Clutching onto his bag tightly, he looked up from the sidewalk to make sure he was still following the other. He had a rough idea of where the school was, but it was just that. _Rough_. The directions were told to him so quickly that he was sure that he missed something. They mostly told him to follow Kaede. But... It was hard to keep up with her long legs. It was almost like she was trying to lose him on purpose. 

The sun was starting to warm his skin, but it was still a bit chilly outside. The breeze went past him easily as he followed the girl to school. 

Eventually, Kaede stopped by someone's gate. It... This...

"This isn't the school..." Ouma spoke out loud on accident as he gazed up at the house. 

It was another normal looking house. It had a black iron gate all around and the house was cream colored. Outside was a big dog barking as he got closer and closer to Kaede. The dog was scary... It was huge... If he could remember right, it was a husky or something. 

"Mmn- K-kaede-san?" 

"It's Akamatsu-san, Ouma." She corrected him quickly. 

"R-right... Um- What are we-" Stammering, he found his heart picking up in pace as he looked into her icy violet eyes. "W-who lives here?" 

"Shut up." 

"R-right!"

The door finally opened and a girl with long black pigtails came bounding out. She was waving to Kaede and seemed to have just woken up. Clumsily walking down the stairs, she opened the gate and turned to pet her dog. 

"Be a good boy, Momo! Love you!" She pat his head and then locked the gate behind her. The dog barked wildly with concern as his owner left. 

Turning to Kaede, the girl began to play with her hair absentmindedly. She was tall, rather pretty, and her hair... Wow. Her hair was really, really long. It was held up in two pigtails with scrunchies. She had a shy smile on her face as she spoke to Kaede for a moment. Then, she turned to glance at Ouma. 

Freezing up in his spot, he blinked twice and looked the opposite way. What was he supposed to say to her? They weren't even at school yet... It wasn't like he could just introduce himself right away... Right? Would that be weird? She would probably laugh at him or something...

"Kaede-chan, is this that kid you were texting me about? Um, what's his name... Omo-kun?" She placed her hand up to the other's ear and pathetically attempted to hide her whisper. He could still hear her voice as clear as day. 

"Yeah. That's him. His name is Ouma and he's freeloading at my house. He doesn't matter. Let's go." Trying to brush him off, Kaede turned to go back onto their path to school. "Have you heard that A- hey-!" 

The girl had walked the opposite way to greet Ouma. To his surprise, she seemed really nice. 

"It's nice to meet you. Um... My name is Harukawa Maki. I'm in Kaede-chan's class. I hope we can get along." Her voice was soft and sweet as she offered her hand out to him. "My sister is probably at school already. We share the same mother- So, our names don't match. Her name is Chabashira Tenko. I hope she doesn't cause you any harm... She's just blunt like Kaede-chan." Softly laughing at something, she moved her hair behind her ear. 

"I-it's nice to meet you too... I'm Ouma Kokichi. U-um... I hope we get along as well!" Bowing out of habit, he looked down at the sidewalk and waited for her to say something else. 

"There's no need for that! R-really! We're going to be classmates. It's fine!"

"I-I'm sorry! It's a bad habit- Um-" 

"Can you two cut that shit out? Oh my god." Kaede interrupted their frantic apologies and wrapped an arm around the other girl's shoulder. "Let's go to school already."  Her tone was annoyed, but the end of her sentence had a bit of a stifled tone of amusement threatening to escape. 

"O-okay... Really. I'm-

-sorry." 

They both apologized at the same time and then went silent. Maki was the first to laugh, and then Kaede. Eventually, Ouma found himself laughing as well. 

* * *

The rest of the way was interesting. He learned a bit about Maki and her sister. It was weird to hear about someone else's life from... behind them, but he was thankful that Kaede allowed him to walk five feet behind them rather than ten. 

Harukawa Maki was a helper in the library and she had lots of crazy stories to tell. Every time, Kaede would laugh for a moment and then fall silent again. The entire walk there, she was possessively holding onto her hand too. They must have been really,  _really_ good friends. 

Entering the gates, Kaede took Maki's hand and ran for it. She completely ditched him there to fend off the wild student society on his own. All he could see was Maki's free hand slightly waving goodbye to him. 

Wow, what great friends... 

That's fine and all but...

Now he was alone. 

And slightly lost. 

"Oof... U-um..." 

Analyzing the situation, it looked like there was fifteen minutes before class started. That would be more than enough time to find someone to help him get to his class before either of them were late. 

To his left was a bench where a girl with gray hair was sitting with another girl with long black hair. W-... With a boy with long black hair. From first glance, he assumed it was a girl from the hair that dropped down to the middle of his back, but now he could see that he was wearing the boy's school uniform. They looked like they were having a lovely time talking about something. It would be... really rude to interrupt. 

To the right was a group of guys hanging out next to the entry of the school. He didn't even need to talk to them to know he should stay away. One looked like he came straight out of a gym with huge muscles that almost burst out of his uniform. His hair was messy and wild- But his glasses looked clean and fitted nicely on his face. Another one had purple hair and facial hair... Only serial killers had facial hair... He was smoking a cigarette, or something. There was another boy with them too. He was far shorter than the two, but he seemed content smoking in plain sight as well. He had red hair and a tired expression on his face. 

So far, his options were slim. 

He could ask the stuck-up looking kids for assistance... or get beaten up by obvious group of bullies. 

With his stomach doing flips, he decided that he should simply go in by himse- 

"Woah-!" 

"Oh-!"

A student bumped into him and was thrown off balance. His hat fell to the ground and Ouma reached down to pick it up for him. Scanning the boy, he seemed to be around his age. He was thin, a little lanky, and had messy hat hair. His eyes were a bright gold- A color he's never seen in eye color before. 

"I-I'm really sorry! Are you okay?" Handing it back, he nervously bit the inside of his cheek. Who was this? Was he going to pick on him now that he was wasting space? He really...  _really_ hoped he wouldn't. 

"I'm fine. Seriously... Watch where you're going." The student took the hat back and placed it on his head. He seemed to be watching something on his phone. 

Even though he was the one who bumped into Kokichi, he figured it was best not to say anything about it. 

"Um... C-can you help me get to class 2C? It's my n-new class a-and I don't... I don't know where it is..." His voice was soft and mumbly as he talked to himself mostly. 

"2C? That's my class! Sure, I can help you... But only if I can punish you for getting in my way. **IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!** " The boy's previous soft voice suddenly turned harsh and raspy as he shouted the strange announcement. 

To his horror, the raising of his voice must have meant that he was going to get hit. Instinctively, Ouma pulled his bag up to shield his face from any possible blows. 

"What-? What? For real? Did you really think I was going to hurt you? No, no! I was just messing around. It's a quote from Danganronpa. Come on." Sounding a little annoyed, the boy rolled his eyes and offered his hand out. "I'm Saihara Shuuichi. I'm Danganronpa's number one fan! I'm going to get on it one day and become the blackened. Please cheer me on!" He snickered afterwards and shook Ouma's hand. 

Weakly shaking back, he let out a few awkward attempts of laughter and let go as soon as possible. "U-Um... Thank you... I'm Ouma Kokichi... I just moved here." 

"SO." Completely ignoring him, Saihara began to walk away. "I'm guessing you've never seen Danganronpa since you thought I was going to hit you. It's what Monokuma says every time before the punishment starts! It's my favorite line. Oh... One day I hope to get it tattooed somewhere. Do you think that'd be cool? Don't tell anyone, but I already am planning on getting a tattoo this summer. I want to wear Monokuma's red eye on my chest for the world to see! Won't it be amazing? Do you even KNOW who Monokuma is?" 

Ouma felt like his head was spinning. Sentence after sentence, this guy continued to talk and rant about Danganronpa. Their walk wasn't even that long, but Kokichi swore that years went by. 

He must have been really unlucky to meet "Danganronpa's number one fan" on his way to class. He didn't know anything about it, and he didn't want to know. Though... He would rather die than to say the truth out loud. 

Eventually, they made it to the classroom. He checked in with the teacher and found out that his seat was... right next to Saihara's. _Great_. Even after sitting down, Saihara unpacked and continued to talk his ear off. 

"And then- Komaeda totally let the spear fall into his chest! It was brutal! How could someone do that to themselves? It's really freaking crazy, isn't it? Wow-! I've never even thought about using luck that way. If you had good luck, would you use it for something bad or good? Or- What do you think? You're so quite, Ouma-kun. I really like you." 

_Please... for the love of god stop talking..._

"Oh- Um... I don't think- I-I mean... I-I... I-is luck even r-re-" Before he could finish, he was silenced. 

"Shh-! Look! Amami-senpai is coming in!" 

"Senpai?" 

Finally silent, Saihara turned to gesture at someone coming in through the door. He was tall, blond, and definitely handsome. He looked like a bad boy who didn't care for the rules... Especially from the jewelry he was wearing. Ouma hadn't seen anyone with that many earrings before. There were so many... And his eyebrow was pierced too? Didn't that hurt? 

Staring for too long, the boy seemed to notice. He glanced in his direction and then narrowed his eyes. Feeling his heart stop, he squeezed his shirt tightly in his hands and tried to avoid eye contact. The boy then sat down in the middle of the classroom only one row away and one seat up from Ouma's seat. 

"W-who is that?" In a low whisper, he tried to get some information from Saihara. 

"That's Amami Rantarou. He's been lucky enough to be on Danganronpa three times! He's a winner! Isn't he _cool_?" Waving over to him, Saihara shifted to slam their desks together. 

Amami flinched when Saihara smacked their desks together, but still said nothing. It was... painfully obvious that he was trying to ignore him. His pierced brow twitched with irritation as he leaned back in his seat. 

"Heeeey~ Amami-senpai, how was your day?" Saihara feared absolutely nothing as he talked to the dangerous student. He even had the nerve to rest his elbows on his desk as he leaned against it. "How is my cute boyfriend doing?" 

". . ." Not responding, he inhaled slowly. It looked like he was ready to explode with anger at any moment- The calm before the storm... But then, he spoke sternly. "Saihara-kun. We. Are. **Not**. Dating. I will never date you and you need to accept that." 

"Don't be that way, Amami-senpai. I'll have you eventually. Hey, look! I have a new best friend. Does that make you jealous?" 

"Literally? No." 

"Isn't he precious though? Aren't you even a tinnnny bit jealous that I'm going to be spending my time with someone else?" 

"No." 

"Amami-senpai, you're such a tease." 

". . ." An awkward silence. 

From... what he could tell, Saihara seemed to have a delusion that he was dating Amami and Amami was not having it. 

"Can you stop being a hoe for one second and act like a normal human being?" Snapping at Saihara, Amami tried to shove his desk away. 

"Hoe? Really? **H** eaven  **o** n  **E** arth? That's so sweet of you, Amami-senpai. You should really stop flirting in front of my new friend Ouma-kun though. He might get craaaazy jealous!" 

"The only thing crazy here is you." 

Cracking a small smile, Ouma laughed as he covered his mouth with the back of his hand. "S-sorry... I've... never heard anything like this before." 

Amami turned to watch the smaller boy laugh. It didn't piss him off. Actually? It made him feel a little calmer. His expression relaxed slightly as he finally introduced himself. 

"M'name's Amami Rantarou. I'm not dating this crazy person... and I don't want to talk about Danganronpa." With a calm and slightly relaxed voice, he shared his name. "It's nice t'meet ya." 

"My name is Ouma Kokichi a-and I've never... Actually seen Danganronpa before. It's ni-"   
  
"Not seeing Danganronpa is like not breathing! I have no idea what I'd even do without it! It's crazy, isn't it? This guy has never seen it! He's been missing out. Do you have all the seasons on tape, Amami-senpai? I could totally give you mine of you want them. I'd do anything for you-" 

"Anything?" 

"ANYTHING!"  
  
"Shut up." 

"Aw... Amami-senpai...!" 

Kokichi couldn't stop smiling. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments give me life. Dabs.


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